Medieval Monasteries

Medieval monasteries were
the wealthiest land owners in Medieval England - more
so than any medieval king. Medieval
monasteries dominated the church in Medieval
England as the monks who lived and worked in them were considered to be
extremely holy.

How did monasteries acquire
their wealth? In Medieval England, the belief in Heaven and Hell was total. Medieval
Peasants were taught that the only way to Heaven and salvation was via the
Church. Therefore people worked on Church land for free. Money dues were paid to
the church for baptism, marriage and death. Also every year, each family paid a
tenth of its yearly worth to the Church - known as tithes. Such an income made
the Church fabulously wealthy and powerful. It gained vast areas of land and it
was on this land that monasteries were built.

The monks who lived in these monasteries
were considered very holy men. As with local churches, people would work on
monastic land for free - to show their love of God. While it is easy to see
medieval monasteries as performing some form of con with regards to preying on
the superstitions and beliefs of the peasants, this is too simplistic to be
valid. People in a village might have to give up two days a week to work for
free for a monastery, but those monks who lived and worked in the monasteries
would have been convinced that this was the way towards salvation for these
people.

It is also too simplistic to think of
all monks as living off the fat of the land and benefiting from the labour of
others. Many monasteries performed important tasks within their community. They
were the only source of some form of medical treatment. Some monasteries had
what can only be described as medieval hospitals attached to them. The medical
treatment was done by the monks. Some monasteries were renowned centres of
learning and culture. Others, such as the priory at Lindisfarne, gained fame for
the piety of the monks who lived and worked there. Life in a place such as
Lindisfarne was harsh even if the monastery itself was wealthy. Those peasants
who could work on the land were few as so few people near Lindisfarne.

Part of Lindisfarne Priory

Only Oxford and Cambridge
Universities could surpass some monasteries as centres of learning. All monks
had to read and write as these were fundamental skills for the role they had
within the monastery.